On August 16, President Lee Kang-cheol and Vice-president Haba Kumiko of the Institute for Northeast Asian Future (INAF) visited the NEAR Secretariat to meet with NEAR Secretary-General Lim Byung-jin. They exchanged ideas on the ways to foster mutual cooperation.

Warmly welcoming Mr. Lee and Ms. Haba, Mr. Lim provided with NEAR’s recent activities, current status of Japanese member-regions, and major NEAR events for the year. Emphasizing that NEAR and INAF share similar values and goals, Mr. Lim requested an active participation of Heilongjiang Academy of Social Sciences in the “Peace and Development Forum,” a think-tank subcommittee of NEAR. Additionally, he asked the delegation to support NEAR by encouraging Japanese prefectures to participate in many of NEAR activities and to join NEAR membership. 

In response, Mr. Lee and Ms. Haba stated that their visit has been a valuable opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the NEAR platform. They acknowledged the crucial role that NEAR has been playing in promoting mutual prosperity and peace through multilateral exchanges among regional governments in Northeast Asia, even amidst a rapidly-changing geopolitical landscape. They also expressed their willingness to promote NEAR events across various Japanese prefectures and to work closely with NEAR by hosting an international forum dedicated to the mutual prosperity of Northeast Asia.

The Institute for Northeast Asia Future is an organization established in October 2020 in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Its aim is to contribute to the development of Northeast Asia by designing the region’s future and conducting research.